The present invention relates to edible fat mimetic materials, and especially to new compounds which have a desirable combination of properties, and their use in edible compositions.
Obesity is perceived as a common problem in contemporary society. This condition is due, in many people, to a greater intake of calories than are expended. While genetic and behavioral factors play a major role, it is generally agreed that reasonable modifications of the caloric value of foods can be valuable in reaching a more desirable equilibrium weight for an individual predisposed to obesity.
Many foods which provide gustatory satisfaction contain significant fat levels. This can be a problem for individuals drawn to these foods because fat has about twice the caloric density of protein and carbohydrates. Estimates indicate, in fact, that fat contributes about 40% of the total calories in the diet. It has long been desired to reduce the available calories of dietary fat without decreasing the appeal or satiety expected of fatty foods. This would, it has been reported, offer a convenient and practical method by which obesity could be controlled, ideally without requiring a dieter to restrict total food intake.
Unfortunately, of the materials heretofore suggested as fat replacements, few have all of the desirable attributes of natural triglyceride fats and oils, although several patents disclose edible compounds which are not digested or absorbed t the same extent as natural triglycerides. U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,419, to Minich discloses that fatty acid esters which contain a neopentyl nucleus are not digested like normal fats and thus can be used as fat substitutes in food compositions. And, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,186, Mattson and Volpenhein disclose sugar and sugar alcohol fatty acid esters having at least four fatty acid ester groups. All of these compounds are said to possess physical properties similar to ordinary triglyceride fat, but are absorbed less readily when eaten. It is, unfortunately, this very attribute which causes undesirable and potentially embarrassing side effects, including the frank anal discharge of the materials.
In a greater departure from conventional glyceride ester chemistry, Canadian Patent 1,106,681 to Trost discloses glycerol dialkyl ether compounds which are said to have functional properties similar to those of conventional fats, but which are not absorbed in the digestive tract to any significant degree. Also, Ward, Gros, and Geuge have reported in New Fat Products: Glyceride Esters of Adipic Acid, JAOCS, Vol. 36, 1959, page 667 that highly viscous oils formed by reacting two glycerol molecules with a dibasic acid, such as fumaric, succinic, and adipic acids, and then reacting one of the hydroxyl groups of each glycerol moiety with a fatty acid, are useful in the food industry, primarily as lubricants and coatings.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,746, Hamm discloses a low-calorie substitute for at least a portion of the edible oil component in oil-based food compositions, which low-calorie substitute is comprised in substantial proportion of at least one low-calorie oil component selected from the group consisting of thermally stable polycarboxylic acids having 2 to 4 carboxylic acid groups esterified with saturated or unsaturated alcohols having straight or branched carbon chains of from 8 to 30 carbon atoms. See, also, D. J. Hamm, Preparation and Evaluation of Trialkoxytricarballylate, Trialkyoxycitrate, Trialkoxyglycerylether, Jojoba Oil, and Sucrose Polyester as Low Calorie Replacements of Edible Fats and Oils, J. of Food Science, Vol. 49, 1984, pages 419-426.
In a recent teaching, Huhn, Given, Jr., and Klemann disclose ether bridged polyester compositions in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,195. These compositions have mono or multibasic acid moleculer joined by an ether bridge, with straight or branched chain alcohols esterified to the free carboxyl groups of the acid molecules.
One of the main problems in attempting to formulate fat-like compounds that have decreased absorbability and thus low caloric properties is to maintain the desirable and conventional physical properties of edible fat. Thus, to be a practical low calorie fat, a compound must mimic conventional triglyceride fat by affording the same utility in various fat-containing food compositions such as shortening, margarine, cake mixes, and the like, and be useful in frying or baking. Unfortunately, none of the prior attempts has yet been successful to the degree that commercial products employing them have either been approved for safety or achieved general public acceptance in their featured role.
Among the problems with many non-absorbable synthetic fat-like materials is the possibility that they will leach fat-soluble vitamins and minerals from the body and that they function, when used in larger amounts as purgatives. In addition, the synthesis of such materials is often complex and impractical from a commercial standpoint. Many attempts have been made to solve these and related problems; however, a better solution would employ chemistry more compatible with the human digestive process which can be simpler synthetically while providing a significant decrease in caloric density vis-a-vis glyceride fats.